1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a cyclomonoolefin by hydrogenation of an aromatic hydrocarbon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known in the past to produce a cyclomonoolefin by the partial hydrogenation of the corresponding aromatic hydrocarbon in the presence of a catalyst containing Ru or Rh. Such processes include:
1. hydrogenation in the presence of a lower alcohol (U.S. Pat. No. 2,291,206); PA1 2. hydrogenation in the presence of an organic nitrogen compound (U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,383); and PA1 3. hydrogenation in the presence of water, an alkali and a catalyst which comprises a cation of at least one element of Group VIII of the periodic table (Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 42645/1972).
However, each of the processes suffers from significant disadvantages: in method (1) and (2), the selectivity and the yield of the cycloolefins are not satisfactory;
IN METHOD (3), THE REACTION VELOCITY AND THE LIFETIME OF THE CATALYST ARE NOT SATISFACTORY. Consequently, it would be most desirable to have a method for producing a cyclomonoolefin which is free from these disadvantages.